Discovery of India

Festival,he will perform today in Delhi ,the place where he,as a fresh-out-of-university backpacker,began his incredible India journey.

“It is 10 per cent chaos,20 per cent soul-searching and 70 per cent humour,” says Britton,38,who weaves the tale of a wide-eyed student in search of Indian spirituality. He soon has his first visual epiphany — a family of four on one scooter — and an aural one — a high-pitched cry of “amrood,amrood”,which sounds like “a sad angel looking for a lost dog.” The religious circuit from Delhi to Madurai is peppered with aggressive fruit sellers at Kovalam beach and fisherwomen at Rameshwaram. “I’ve created a collage of events to create a good story,” says Britton,who uses his talent for mimicry to recreate the sounds of India.

A performer since 1999,Madison-based Britton opens a window into the lives of backpackers. He says “most backpackers don’t have enough money but feel like a million bucks in India because a dollar goes a long way. They buy all sorts of things until there’s nothing left,no dollars,no rupees.” Britton himself was offered everything from pashmina to magic mushroom. He settled for the stories.

Britton performs as part of The Park’s New Festival today. Time: 7.30 pm.